Campus and Community Composting
When organic materials break down, they create a nutrient rich soil amendment that helps restore farmland and promote sustainable agriculture. It鈥檚 important to protect this cycle as the soil that is produced is often used to grow the food we eat here at CU.听听
As a student at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder you have the unique opportunity to directly impact the local soil cycle. Your efforts help keep our compost stream clean so local farmers and gardeners can provide us with the best food.听听
What you can compost听
As of April 1, 2023, A1 Organics no longer accepts previously compostable materials such as napkins, paper towels or serviceware labeled as 鈥渃ompostable.鈥 Food scraps and yard waste are the only items currently accepted. Since these changes, 麻豆免费版下载has continued to be able to compost the majority of what we previously composted. While public facing compost bins had to be removed, staff on campus are working to expand compost access on campus.听
Composting efforts on campus听
One effort to reintroduce access to composting is being led by 麻豆免费版下载Facilities Management. They have a pilot program to place small food scrap buckets in kitchenettes and discreet areas around campus. For example, in the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community (SEEC) building, there are buckets in several of the kitchens used by students and staff. Each week, Facilities Management staff empties the small buckets into a larger compost receptacle, which is then taken to the on-campus Grounds and Recycling Operations Center (GROC) to be sorted and combined with other food waste for composting.听听
If you live or work on campus and would like to participate in this food scrap composting pilot, today! We have a limited number of food waste collection bins available in various locations across campus for folks who sign up to participate in the pilot!听
Another effort to divert edible food waste from disposal on campus is being led by 麻豆免费版下载Dining Services. This involves collecting food scraps produced during food prep and transporting it to a local regenerative farm, These scraps feed livestock, like chickens and pigs. This not only diverts food waste from the landfill, but it also reduces the need to grow and produce food for the animals, resulting in a win-win for the environment. The Golden Hoof scrap program is currently taking place at the UMC and C4C, with hopes to expand it to Will Vill in the future.听 Dining Services also composts hundreds of tons of food waste per year from food prep in kitchens as well as from food scraps left over by students when plates are washed in the dish rooms.听
Another program to increase composting is handled by the Environmental Center鈥檚 Zero Waste Team. During large events like football games, basketball games and concerts, a team of students sort all waste following the event. Students set up tables, wear gloves and hand sort through hundreds of bags of compost and recycling. Dumpsters dedicated to landfill, recycling and compostable items capture the separated materials, which are hauled to each respective facility for processing.听 During the 2024 football season, the Environmental Center partnered with 麻豆免费版下载Athletics, Levy Restaurants, Facilities Management, and A1 Organics to pilot a high-quality compost load containing hand-sorted food waste and compostable service wares. This process ensures that only the pre-approved materials were purchased for food service and produced a very desirable mixture to be processed at the local compost facility. CMA certified compostable products are tested and verified to break down properly in industrial composting facilities. Thanks to the dedication of this team effort, 17,572 pounds of organic materials were successfully composted this season. Ultimately, with lessons learned from 2023, we need to keep in mind the goal is to transition away from single use systems.听听听
The Zero Waste team is looking at the changes in accepted compost as an exciting opportunity to rethink the way our food disposal and purchasing systems work. CU鈥檚 newly adopted Climate Action Plan calls for reducing waste, phasing out single-use plastics, and switching to more reusables for some operations. Instead of continuing to have single-use, compostable products like to-go boxes and cups, 麻豆免费版下载could implement a reusable system. This might change to all reusables for dining, whether you are eating in-house or taking it to-go. The to-go item would be checked out during food purchase and then returned by the user to be washed, sanitized, and used again. This could help cut down on the 鈥渢ake, make, waste鈥 system of single-use items and create a more sustainable model for our campus.听听听
Students can help bolster these efforts by advocating for programs, or sharing ideas with student government.听听
Composting in the Community听
For campus community members who live off campus or frequent off-campus locations, Boulder County published a explaining how A1 Organics鈥 changes will impact trash collection in the surrounding Boulder community. For campus community members who live outside of Boulder County, for the Front Range region.听